 With reliance on surprise attack, make Nipon's Air Force a menace which must be quickly recognized and dealt with. It is a mongrel air force composed of imitations of well-known American and European types. The enemy has copied American pursuit airplanes like the Boeing P-26A, an obsolete U.S. pursuit. Planes like the P-36, now a second line U.S. pursuit, have also been imitated. Only swift and sure identification will enable our anti-aircraft batteries or other defense units to shoot at hostile aircraft avoiding the mistake of firing on our own. Japanese military aircraft have well-defined markings. When it is visible, the red ball representing the rising sun is all you have to see to know you're sighting the enemy. Japanese camouflage is somewhat like that of the British. Bottoms are usually painted a light blue. The top and sides of this British airplane are painted with irregular bands of different colors in a manner similar to the Japanese scheme. The Japanese Army and Navy both number their airplanes according to year. Fighter 96 refers to a fighter model adopted in 1936. This popular fighter was adopted by the Navy in 1936 and designated the 96. The Army took over the same ship in 1937 and called it the 97. The difference between these two airplanes is slight and may be disregarded. A front view of the 96 or 97 presents a definite pattern. The low dihedral wing, the radial air-cooled motor, and the fixed alighting gear. Looking down on this standard Jap fighter gives us a view of a blunt swollen nose and wings with trailing edges curving in from rounded tips. The open cockpit is an unusual feature on modern military aircraft. Approaching from the side, the squat triangular tail is noticeable. Also, note the ridge on top of the fuselage running from tail to cockpit. There is a narrowing of the fuselage where it joins the motor housing making the motor housing stand out. It can also be seen that the pilot sits well forward just over the wing. Just behind the cockpit, there is a step up to the ridge which extends along the top of the fuselage to the tail. The fixed landing gear with wheel pants is a good sign that the fighter is Japanese. A side view also shows the squat triangular tail, blending into the fuselage in front and separated from the fuselage by a notch in the rear. From below, the nose and wings are distinctive. The oval tail and the Japanese markings are additional means of identification. Our P-36, now a second line pursuit, is the American military airplane most comparable to the Japanese 96 and 97. The fixed landing gear on the Jap fighter is the outstanding mark of distinction between the two planes. The dihedral of the wings on our P-36 starts from the fuselage, while on the Jap fighter it starts from the landing gear. From above, the straightly tapering wings of our P-36 contrast with the knife blade wings of the 96, 97. The oval tail of the Jap plane differs from our P-36s. The open cockpit on the standard Japanese fighter is a sure mark of identification. From the side, the major points which distinguish the Japanese plane are the cockpit, tail, and fixed landing gear. From below, the fixed landing gear of the Japanese plane extends beyond the leading edge of the wing. The P-36 has retractable landing gear. Notice again the oval tail of the 96, 97, and the bird wing tail of our P-36. A graph of the rate of climb of these two planes shows the Jap fighter is inferior to our P-36 and hence far below our present pursuit airplanes. This Japanese fighter mounts two synchronized fuselage guns and two guns on the wings. The best angle from which to attack this fighter is from a front quarter or from the rear. To protect the pilot, there are an armored bucket seat and two strips of armor on the bottom of the cockpit. This improved version of the 96 and 97 is also used by the Japanese Army and Navy. It has a cleaner appearance and it is faster and better armed. The improved fighter above and the old model below present somewhat similar silhouettes. They are both low wing monoplanes with air-cooled motors. However, retractable landing gear is sometimes found on the improved model. Looking down on the two planes, there are only minor differences. For instance, the open cockpit of the 96, 97 on the left as compared to the covered cockpit of the later model on the right. Except for the closed-in cockpit, the new ship has a slimmer appearance. The noticeable notch created by the open cockpit of the older ship has been covered on the improved model. Also, the fuselage on the improved fighter merges into the motor housing in clean, unbroken lines and the tail assembly is taller and more pointed. If the improved fighter on the right has fixed landing gear, a view from below will reveal few distinguishing features. Both planes have blunt noses and the outlines of their wings and tails are very similar. The newer fighter, with or without retractable landing gear, is armed with two machine guns mounted on the fuselage and two or four wing guns. Some planes have a synchronized cannon on the bottom of the fuselage. This fighter, with or without fixed landing gear, has an armored bucket seat and two strips of armor on the bottom of the cockpit. Again, the best angle of attack is from a front quarter or from the rear. Now you should be able to identify the two Japanese fighters, but let's be sure. Coming at you is our P-36, together with the Japanese fighters. Can you tell which is which? The 96-97 is on top, the improved fighter is next, and last is our P-36. A side view of these airplanes compares the easily identified P-36 with the Japanese fighters. The 96-97 is on top, the newer fighter is in the middle. Since Japanese airplanes are inferior to our own, a good U.S. fighting pilot should be able to bag his quota of Japs every time he goes after them.